This invention relates generally to door lever assemblies for use with panic exit devices and more particularly to door lever assemblies which are field adjustable during installation for handing and for door thickness.
Currently available door lever assemblies, especially those with internal locking, do not allow for easy installation, repair, or modification on site. Thus, if a different lever handle is desired, or if it is necessary to change handles or other parts because of damage due to vandalism or even routine wear and tear; it is often necessary to disassemble the whole lever assembly in order to install the new parts. This multiplies the risk of losing parts and/or incorrectly assembling them, both cases resulting in malfunctioning of the assembly. If lever handing is wrong, it may be necessary to replace some asymmetric components which are needed for operation of the assembly but which will not work when handing is reversed. This may be so even if such parts are neither worn nor damaged. If the door thickness is not as expected, it is necessary to either get a longer tailpiece to extend between the input cam and the latch spindle for a thicker door or to cut or break sufficient material off the tailpiece to make it the proper length for a thinner door.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present door lever assemblies, and it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of those limitations. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.